Different Moons
by Alshoruzen
Summary: In an infinite number of universes, they still always manage to find each other. A KaiShin sci-fi collection. 3: Heroes and Villains - It isn't about where you started, it's where you go that matters. So goes the motto of the Milky Way Corporation, an organization dedicated to studying and supporting the newly emerging population of people with paranormal powers.
1. Skyline Part 1 - Experiment Verse

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: T

Collection Summary: In an infinite number of universes, they still always manage to find each other. A KaiShin sci-fi collection. (This is the science fiction counterpart to the Different Suns collection)

Chapter Summary: They were created to be weapons and tools without pasts or futures of their own. But it's time for that to change. Together, they're going to grasp their freedom.

* * *

**Skyline**

_[Experiment Verse]_

**Part 1**

It was already an hour past midnight, but the party was showing no signs of winding down. Standing in the corner and pretending to be considering what to eat from the banquet table next to him, Shinichi held back a sigh. He didn't want to be here. The ballroom was luxuriant to the point of opulence, and all the guests were just the same. What was worse, the place was noisy and packed to the brim.

He swallowed a sigh.

Much as he disliked being here, being here was still better than the alternative, which was to be back at the base. But he'd completed his assignment, and that meant he'd be going back there soon whether he wanted to or not.

Might as well make the best of the time he had left. Now, how could he do that? The same way he always did when he could.

Drink as much coffee as he could get his hands on. He wasn't allowed any back at the base.

He eyed the crowds as he worked up his nerve. If he kept his hands in his pockets, he should be able to avoid any accidental skin contact even if it would make him look a little strange. Since his job was done, it didn't matter if he stood out as odd or offended anyone.

Nodding to himself, he put his hands in his pockets and headed for the refreshments stands. If only he'd been allowed to bring gloves.

When he got there, he spent some time perusing the vast selection of imported coffees. He'd love to try them all, but he didn't have the time. So he decided to start with the one that everyone else seemed to be getting.

He was jus turning away from the table with his steaming mug in hand when a woman in a sleeveless dress flounced by. Her bare arm brushed his hand before he could move out of the way.

A flood of images and sensations rushed through his head. If it weren't for all the practice he'd had, he might have staggered. As it was, he just held his breath and waited for the flood to pass.

That woman had been furious. She'd just had a huge argument with her boyfriend. She'd caught the man cheating on her. Apparently he'd only been dating her because of her wealthy father. But she had really loved him.

The woman's intense anger and pain made Shinichi's head spin and his stomach twist nauseatingly.

His hands clenched on his coffee mug. He forced himself to breathe in deep, even breaths.

A hand landed on his shoulder.

Shinichi flinched, but he kept enough presence of mind not to jerk away. He didn't need to end up spilling hot coffee all over himself.

"It's okay. It's just me."

He knew that voice. Both relieved and disappointed, he turned to meet a pair of indigo eyes.

"Kaito."

The newcomer, a young man with a mess of dark brown hair who stood slightly taller than Shinichi himself, smiled. "Hey there. You ready to go?"

Shinichi glanced down at his coffee before nodding reluctantly. "Yes."

A knowing smile tugged at the corners of Kaito's lips. "You know, I haven't had dinner yet. Mind waiting while I grab a bite to eat?"

Shinichi brightened. "Of course. I don't mind waiting. But…" He lowered his voice, looking around to make sure no one would hear them. "We'll get in trouble if…"

"Don't worry. I won't let it get to that. We can spare a few minutes. I know you want to finish that coffee."

Blushing, Shinichi ducked his head. "Thank you."

Kaito's smile softened into a more genuine expression. "I told you before, I'll always be watching over you. Now why don't you show me where the desserts are?"

Blush darkening at being on the receiving end of that smile, Shinichi nodded and turned. His heart beat just a little faster when he sensed Kaito walking close behind him.

The desserts occupied an entire banquet table. There were little cakes of every flavor you could think of and pudding cups as well as cream puffs and all kinds of cookies. There were twelve different pies available too, each more delicious than the last.

Shinichi watched in open amazement as Kaito piled his plate with chocolate raspberry pie, chocolate mousse cake, a chocolate pudding cup, marshmallow and chocolate cookie bars, chocolate cream puffs, and one lemon cream bar. The last he offered to Shinichi on a smaller plate with a delicate, silver fork on the side.

Shinichi took the gift with a quiet thank you. It always amazed him what Kaito remembered. Shinichi had only ever told him that he liked lemon-flavored desserts once many years ago, but Kaito had never forgotten.

Then again, Kaito had once told him that he remembered everything Shinichi had ever said to him. Shinichi's stomach flip-flopped in a most disconcerting though not entirely unpleasant way at the memory. Shinichi knew that for as long as he lived, he would remember those words and the soft smile Kaito had been wearing when he had uttered them. At the time, he hadn't really understood what that look in Kaito's eyes or the warmth in his voice had meant. For the longest time, he had assumed it was just Kaito being his usual quirky self. After all, Kaito had been strange from the very first day they'd met.

That had been, oh, how many years ago now? Shinichi couldn't say for sure. Years were difficult to keep track of for people like them who only ever saw the outside world when they were sent on assignments. It must have been at least ten years though. Possibly longer.

They had both still been children then, though exactly how old they had been, neither of them really knew. It was that way with all of them really. They had been created after all. They had no parents, and none of them had been born in the natural sense. The first few years of their lives had been inside large incubation pods—glorified test tubes in which the Organization could play at being god. While in those pods, they had developed much faster than human babies were meant to, but once they had emerged, their growth had slowed drastically because they were more useful to their creators if they lasted longer in a physically fit state (though Shinichi had inadvertently learned from some of the scientists when he'd touched their minds that their creators suspected that, when they did pass their prime, they would age much more rapidly than regular, though the scientists had only speculated on when that would be. Privately, Shinichi wondered if they had been designed that way on purpose to make sure that they would disappear as soon as they lost their usefulness. It was a depressing thought—another reminder that their lives were not their own. Though Kaito insisted that they should think of it as a sort of blessing. After all, most regular people would pay a lot to get to remain in their teens and twenties for a few extra decades).

Shinichi's early memories were all a blur. There was the color blue and a soft light, but there was no warmth. He remembered little of his childhood except for the white walls of his room and the white and metal prison that was the lab where he had been taught how to read and write, to do figures and play music, and even a little how to cook. But most importantly, he had learned to use his powers. He took in the emotions and memories of others and, if he so willed it, he had the power to share those memories and emotions with others, though it was not a skill he cared for. Stealing secrets from people's minds already made him feel unclean. To turn around and give what he had found to others, to share secrets that were not his to share… That was even worse.

But that was what they had trained him to do because that was what he had been created for. The perfect mole.

Thinking back, the day his world began to have color was the day he had met Kaito.

Kaito had been older than him, the scientist who had brought the boy to see him had told him. "He's about a year older, but I think you two should get along."

Never having met anyone even remotely close to his age before, Shinichi hadn't known what to think of the boy. He only became more confused when the boy had walked right up to him, smiling, and held out his hand.

"_I'm Kaito,"_ he'd said, that bright grin just as charming if a lot less dangerous back then as it would be later. _"And you are?"_

"_Shinichi."_

They had been instructed to get acquainted with each other because they would often be working together in the future.

Looking back now, that day had been the first and only blessing in Shinichi's life. It had been the day he met the person who would become his first and best friend—the one person who made him at least a little glad to have been brought into this world. But, at the beginning, he had found Kaito to be confusing and, well, kind of annoying.

Not only had Kaito been loud and way too energetic at all hours, he had also invaded Shinichi's room, which had, up until that day, been the only space in which Shinichi could be blessedly alone and in peace. Okay, so that wasn't Kaito's fault. It was the Organization that had ordained that they begin living together as part of the "getting to know each other" process, but still. Peace and quiet were things Shinichi valued greatly, especially because of his abilities, while Kaito seemed to think that "peace" and "quiet" were both synonymous to "boring".

No one who knew Kaito long ever wanted him to be bored. A bored Kaito was a creative and sneaky Kaito who, considering he had already fully mastered his powers, often found ways to entertain himself by playing pranks on everyone and everything in the lab.

Labs are never places where you want invisible mischief making kids to play pranks in. Ruined experiments are the best that can happen.

So, many large and small mishaps later, Shinichi had been ordered to always do what Kaito wanted. In other words, he had to keep Kaito entertained.

So began Shinichi's daily torment. He found himself learning how to play every kind of card game ever invented and then some. He also had to learn chess, checkers, Go, shogi, and a zillion other board games that caught Kaito's fancy (though these, at least, Shinichi enjoyed more than the card games, which Kaito always won no matter how thoroughly the deck was shuffled). But the little monster wasn't always satisfied with these quiet, intellectual games. He also demanded that Shinichi play hide and seek and tag and other active games that weren't truly suited to the limited space in their bedroom and classroom/recreation area like little children. Of course, they _were_ little children, but Shinichi hadn't felt young since the day he'd emerged from his incubation capsule, and he didn't really appreciate being forced to act like a silly child on a sugar high.

It made it all worse that Kaito was always so…so cheerful. It was weird and disconcerting. How could anyone in their situation smile so much? Be that happy?

If Kaito had been an idiot, Shinichi would have just assumed he didn't know any better—that he didn't fully comprehend the depressing truth about their situation. They had been created by the Organization to serve it. They had no homes or families, and they weren't allowed to have their own dreams. They were nothing but tools.

But Kaito wasn't a fool. Far from it. He was clearly extremely intelligent and, judging from both his strategies when playing games and his elaborate pranks, extremely devious. So his cheer had to be a lie, Shinichi decided by the end of the first week. Though what his real purposes were, Shinichi didn't know. Maybe he did it to drive everyone nuts as a sort of personal revenge for their situation. Shinichi just wished he'd lay off now and then. It was exhausting being forced to keep up with his boundless energy.

It was about a month later that Shinichi's opinion had been forced to change.

They had been playing tag—a game Shinichi hated because he disliked physical contact even when there was no skin contact but which both Kaito and the scientists approved of (it was a good exercise that honed the reflexes, they said. It was especially true when Kaito was one of the participants). Anyway, Kaito was It at the time. They'd been playing in the rec room when a sudden lunge from Kaito had made Shinichi leap onto a couch to escape. Unfortunately, the unstable footing provided by the cushions had led to Shinichi tumbling right off again, but he'd been saved from hitting his head on the corner of a nearby table by Kaito, who had adjusted his trajectory when he'd noticed the danger. They'd gone down in a tangled heap and ended up bonking foreheads.

In that instant, Kaito's overwhelming cheer and insatiable curiosity crashed over Shinichi like a tsunami along with his relief that he'd saved Shinichi from a potentially dangerous head injury, and Shinichi realized that Kaito really _was_ that cheerful. And he really cared.

Surprised and uncertain, Shinichi had decided that maybe he too should put some effort into trying to be friends.

The problem was that Shinichi wasn't sure he knew what that meant. Being friends. Was it enough to spend time together? Was it enough to play games together? They had been ordered to share a room, so they were almost always together anyway, but he felt that friendship was about more than that.

Sadly, though they were expected to learn a great many things, topics like friendship were not among any of their lessons.

Still, Shinichi began trying to learn to enjoy their games, and he did his best to participate in conversations. Gradually, he'd found himself becoming more comfortable around Kaito to the point where he found himself sharing thoughts that he had never entertained sharing with anyone else—thoughts like his views on their situation and his questions about the purpose of their existence. In turn, he got to see the serious, intelligent being hidden behind Kaito's clownish grin.

Kaito became someone Shinichi knew he trusted, and though he still wasn't entirely sure he knew what it meant to be friends, he felt that Kaito was someone important to him. Even later, when they had been introduced to the other artificially created children, Kaito remained the one person Shinichi felt he could share everything with. The one person he trusted fully. The one person he looked forward to spending time with—that he wanted to return to. That understanding had made life a little easier to bear.

Then they had started being sent out on missions, and the time they got to spend alone together became all the more precious.

Like Shinichi, Kaito was mostly tasked with acquiring information, but his missions were quite different. His mutations had earned him the nickname Poltergeist and for good reason. He could become invisible not only to regular vision but to all forms of detection. He could extend his powers to cover objects he was in contact with so long as they did not have too much mass. He could manage to cloak everything from clothes and weapons to a single adult human being, making him the perfect thief (he would have been the perfect assassin too. So much so that the Organization was very careful never to give him a weapon just in case doing so became the last mistake they ever made).

And so, while Shinichi was sent after the secrets hidden within people's minds, Kaito was generally sent after physical things—everything from blueprints and data to prototypes of new technology and priceless artifacts.

His powers and skills were also the reason why they often worked together. To be more accurate, Kaito was almost always the one the Organization sent to pick Shinichi up from his missions. Kaito was an expert at getting into places and getting people out of those places unnoticed.

It was on one of those retrievals that Shinichi's perception of Kaito had changed again.

Since his assignments demanded that Shinichi spend a lot of time mingling with high society, the Organization had decided to present him to the world as the son of a wealthy but more reclusive family very interested in funding promising entrepreneurial endeavors. Because of that, Shinichi was an oft sought after party guest as all kinds of people with new ideas and plants for great riches sought him out to see if they could impress him enough to be able to get funding from his supposed parents.

Little did they know that it was more than their ideas that they were sharing with him. They were also sharing key theories and components of their work without meaning to and giving him a glimpse into the kinds of people they were, wanted to be, or would be willing to work with, and so, so much more.

The night in question, Shinichi had been dancing with the daughter of a major electronics manufacturer whose parents were currently involved in some under the table deals at the time. He had already gotten all the information he had been told to get from her mind, but the girl had been quite taken with him, it seemed, and refused to let him go. She had insisted he continue to dance with her even when he asked to excuse himself then suggested that he meet her parents.

Shinichi hadn't known how to get away without being rude. He'd already been mentally exhausted from being battered by other people's thoughts and emotions for five hours straight, and it had been all he could do to keep a polite smile on his face.

That was when Kaito had arrived.

_"Excuse me, my brother and I have an appointment to get to,"_ Kaito had said, stepping smoothly between Shinichi and the girl from seemingly nowhere. He'd grabbed Shinichi's hand and began towing him away after giving the girl his most charming smile and sincerest apology. Then he had led Shinichi out of the party hall and towards the car waiting outside for them.

But though the entire act was typical for them, there had been one difference that night. Kaito had not been wearing gloves when he took Shinichi's hand. Later, he had told Shinichi that he'd torn one when retrieving his target of the night. Since wearing only one would have been strange, he had opted to take both gloves off.

A blush crept up Shinichi's face at the memory, and he glanced up at the side of Kaito's face from the corner of his eye.

That night, when their bare hands had touched, Shinichi had seen images in Kaito's mind of the two of them dancing in that party—of Kaito pulling him closer as the music changed to something slow and romantic just before Kaito would lean down, breeching that small distance it would take to eliminate the distance between their lips. He'd even gotten a fleeting glimpse of himself and Kaito wrapped up in an intimate embrace.

Swallowing, Shinichi buried his nose deeper in his coffee mug.

That hadn't been the first time he had caught a glimpse of such thoughts in the minds of people he'd met. His assignments were always about collecting intelligence. However, he couldn't just look into people's heads and see what he was looking for. His powers only picked up on emotions and active thoughts. And only from someone he was physically in contact with. Over the years, Shinichi had honed his ability to find answers just by asking a few questions while shaking someone's hand or while squeezed together in a crowd or something else of the sort. But not all questions could be answered so quickly or easily. Sometimes, targets needed to be maneuvered through hoops to get them to think about the right things, and that could take time.

Shinichi cringed. The Organization was good at picking out which people it would be easiest for him to get information from. And so Shinichi suspected it was no coincidence that he had met more than his fair share of perverts.

One of the worst had to have been that unpleasantly memorable incident when he'd had to endure three hours sitting next to that programming genius at a beach concert. The man had put a hand on Shinichi's knee when they started talking and hadn't removed it until the concert had ended. Because of that, Shinichi had learned everything he'd been sent to learn about the security programs that the man had designed (the man had been very eager to brag about his creations, and though he didn't speak of the details, he had thought about them as he boasted). However, Shinichi had also learned that the man had a very large collection of…un-child-friendly toys and a very vivid imagination. Shinichi had definitely not needed all that time seeing himself starring in the man's perverted fantasies.

At least those disturbing visions had given him ample warning so that he knew better than to go anywhere alone with the man. Granted, it hadn't been easy. The man had taken a real fancy to Shinichi, much to Shinichi's chagrin, and he'd been persistent. It didn't help at all that Shinichi had been ordered to maintain peaceable relations with the programmer in case the Organization needed more information from him in the future. Indeed, Shinichi had had to endure the man's company four more times since then, all at concerts as his cover for his interactions with the man was that they were both fans of a certain popular band. The music _was_ actually very good, but that didn't make the meetings any less unpleasant, especially since, in every encounter, Shinichi had to learn of all the new additions the man had made to his _collection_ with Shinichi in mind whether he wanted to or not (which he very much did not. The programmer's fantasies got progressively more vivid and elaborate every time they met. His interest in Shinichi had clearly evolved rather quickly into an obsession. Shinichi had been very careful not to eat or drink anything the man offered him from their second meeting onward, and after the difficulty he had at the end of their third meeting with getting out of letting the man give him a ride back to his hotel, he always made sure to have some good escape excuses prepared).

Every encounter with the pervert had left Shinichi feeling disgusted and more than a little paranoid for days afterward.

But the time he had caught those thoughts from Kaito, the experience had been different. Kaito's thoughts had come with a warmth and intensity that Shinichi realized (after long contemplations) was love. It wasn't just the lust those others had had in their heads. It was the genuine desire to hold and cherish and protect someone precious. To be with them forever.

And so, rather than being repulsed, Shinichi had found himself wishing that the visions could be real. He'd wanted to feel Kaito's arms around him.

Shinichi had struggled with that realization for a long time, wondering if he was just reacting to Kaito's feelings or if he really felt that way about Kaito. Then he'd thought about what it meant for them if they really were in love. After all, they had no real future. If they did try to establish such a relationship, Shinichi knew it would only be used against them. So, in the end, it didn't really matter how they felt.

Of course, it was when he realized that that he finally admitted to himself that he really did love Kaito. Or at least he knew he couldn't bear the thought of life without Kaito, and he secretly wished that Kaito would kiss him even though he still found the thought of physical contact to be frightening. If it would make Kaito happy, Shinichi thought he just might be okay with being touched. Just so long as it was Kaito touching him.

His stomach did another funny little flip flop at the thought, and he took another gulp of coffee only to discover that his mug was already empty. He frowned into the mug with dismay.

As if on cue, Kaito offered him a hand. "Shall we be on our way then?"

Regretfully, Shinichi set his empty mug on one of the trays held by a passing waiter and took Kaito's hand. His heart skipped a beat as the taller boy's gloved fingers twined with his own.

Outside, the night air was crisp but not quite cold. It was a refreshing change from the overly warm and noisy atmosphere of the party. Kaito led Shinichi around to the hotel's parking lot. He was taking the long way, but neither of them was in a hurry. It was nice to just walk together through the tranquility of the night.

They passed the hotel's large swimming pool. Its waters were glowing faintly blue with the lights beneath its glassy surface. Then they passed dark lawns dotted with little lamps and a fountain before they finally stepped out amidst silent rows of parked cars. When they reached the black BMW the Organization had assigned them for the mission, Kaito opened the passenger door for Shinichi and swept into a bow, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

Shinichi rolled his eyes at the gesture, though he found himself smiling too as he took his seat. Kaito slid into the driver's seat a moment later, and the engine hummed to life.

They pulled out of the parking lot. A small sigh escaped Shinichi's lips as he watched the city lights drifting by outside the window. Soon, they would be back at the Organization's local headquarters. A familiar dread settled in the pit of his stomach. He would have to give his information to Gin the moment he got back. Unfortunately, that information included the fact that one of the men the Organization had been dealing with had sold blueprints on one of their inventions to a startup company that was shooting into the public eye. That meant someone was going to die.

The thought made Shinichi feel sick. He hated it—being responsible, however indirectly, for someone's murder.

If only he could make time stand still.

Lost in guilty thoughts of what his information was going to bring about, he almost didn't notice that Kaito had turned down the wrong street.

"Kaito?" he asked, startled.

"What is it?"

"You missed the turn."

"No I didn't."

"You did," Shinichi insisted, not sure why Kaito was denying it.

Kaito was silent for a long moment. He made no move to turn the car around. When he finally did speak, Shinichi's entire world changed.

"We're not going back."

Shinichi stared at him. "…What?"

* * *

**-To Be Continued-**

**Notes**: I considered putting this in the Different Suns collection, but that one's already pretty long. And this story just felt more science fiction than fantasy. So I'm making a sister collection.


	2. Skyline Part 2 - Experiment Verse

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: T

Collection Summary: In an infinite number of universes, they still always manage to find each other. A KaiShin sci-fi collection. (This is the science fiction counterpart to the Different Suns collection)

Chapter Summary: They were created to be weapons and tools without pasts or futures of their own. But it's time for that to change. Together, they're going to grasp their freedom.

* * *

**Skyline**

_[Experiment Verse]_

**Part 2**

He couldn't have heard what he thought he had heard. Kaito couldn't have said they weren't going back. Right?

Kaito knew just as well as Shinichi did that all the artificial children like themselves had tracking devices embedded at the base of their skulls along with a terrible little mechanism that could be used to deliver painful electric shocks. Even if they ran away, they would be found sooner rather than later, and the consequences would be painful.

But Kaito's expression was deadly serious as he began to talk. He spoke fast and low like he had been thinking about this for a long time now and was finally getting the chance to share. And the more he talked, the more Shinichi couldn't believe this was happening.

At the same time, Shinichi felt a sudden and terrible hope.

"We—Heiji, the nuisance, and I have been working with Doctor Shiho on this for a while. You remember her, right?"

Shinichi nodded. Doctor Shiho's grandfather had laid the groundwork's for the project that eventually gave birth to Shinichi himself and the others like him. From what he'd heard, the man had thought he was finding ways to help humanity advance in the ever changing environment (which, thanks to pollution and all the other damage humans had wrought, was growing more unbalanced and harmful to everyone and everything by the day). However, he had passed away, and his work—as well as his granddaughter—had fallen into the hands of the Organization (which had been eyeing it for a while and moved in when they saw the chance. Shinichi had wondered if the old man's death too had been orchestrated, but he'd never gotten any proof one way or the other). Shiho was a genius, and she had contributed a great deal to the completion of their projects even though, over time, she had come to see just what kind of people she had gotten involved with. She had no love for the Organization, but by the time she'd realized it, it had been too late for her to leave. She too had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. She was like them in some ways, Shinichi had always thought, though he saw very little of her himself since the Organization preferred to keep him away from people who had knowledge they did not wish for their experiments to have. After all, even the best listening devices and observation cameras couldn't tell them what kind of potentially dangerous information he might have gleaned from someone's mind.

Kaito and the others' plan was actually quite simple because simple plans were less likely to go wrong. The difficult part had been the timing. But tonight, all the pieces they had been waiting for had fallen into place. All five of them had been given assignments outside of direct surveillance areas at the same time—assignments that allowed for a little leeway in terms of time.

"We couldn't tell you because they monitor you more closely than the rest of us. But we're moving out tonight. I'm sorry you had to wait so long."

"Oh. I…I see."

Kaito wasn't sure what kind of reaction he had expected from Shinichi, but he found himself feeling a little disappointed. He had hoped that Shinichi would at least look a little pleased. Maybe smile a little. His Shin-chan smiled so rarely that Kaito was always trying to find ways to make him smile.

He would have thought that the promise of freedom would warrant a smile.

Instead, Shinichi's face was pinched and pale. Solemn. But maybe he should have expected that. Shinichi had always been the serious, thoughtful sort. He had no doubt already thought through the possibilities and realized just how small a chance they had of succeeding in the long run. Kaito knew it too, naturally. They all did. But Kaito had decided that freedom was worth the risk. Still…

"If you don't want to, we can go back," he said quietly, meaning every word. "I won't force you to go through with this. But I really think this is our chance. Still, I promise, no matter what, I'll always be here for you. Wherever we go, we'll go together."

Shinichi looked away for a moment. When he looked back, the uncertainty had left his eyes to be replaced by resolve.

"I want to go."

Kaito grinned, indigo eyes gleaming. "Right. We'll have to move fast then."

Before he'd met Shinichi, Kaito's life had been nothing but white. White rooms, white lab coats, white people with no substance and white words that meant nothing for they had been offered by people without substance.

He'd known he was a tool and he hated that fact, but he'd also known that he had been blessed with powers none of those empty people had, and that was certainly something he could celebrate. But he had had no direction. He cared nothing for the Organizations expectations of him. He certainly wasn't going to define his life according to their designs. But knowing what he didn't want wasn't the same as knowing what he wanted, and without direction, life isn't really life.

Finding Shinichi had given him a sense of purpose.

Shinichi was someone like him. And because they were in the same boat, he was the first person Kaito felt could be an ally, maybe even a friend. He'd realized quickly that Shinichi wasn't nearly as interested in making friends as he was, but Kaito was nothing if not persistent. He wasn't about to let his first potential ally escape.

His first impression of Shinichi had been that he was shy and rather reserved. It didn't take long, however, for him to realize that Shinichi wasn't so much shy as he simply did not feel there was anything to say. He was indeed reserved, but he was extremely observant. He also spent a lot of time thinking—perhaps too much, but he tended to keep those thoughts to himself. He was rather serious, but, when he got excited, he could bounce with the best of them. That last Kaito had learned purely by accident when they stumbled across a mystery novel that one of the lab assistants had accidentally left lying around. His bright, honest excitement that day had been endearing. It had also been the first time Kaito had seen the other boy smile.

He'd liked that smile. So he'd quickly figured out which of the lab assistants liked to read mystery novels, and, next time he'd had the opportunity, he'd stolen one to give to Shinichi in the hopes of seeing that smile again.

Sadly, he'd discovered that Shinichi didn't approve of stealing. On the other hand, Shinichi had cheered up after deciding that they would return the book after they read it. Kaito had demonstrated his skills by returning the book without being noticed. After that, they had agreed that 'borrowing' books was all right as long as they weren't caught. After all, their 'teachers' were pretty strict about the materials they got to read, and both of them were thirsty for more information about the outside world. They had continued the routine even after they'd started being allowed out into the world for missions, partly because they still had to take advantage of any opportunity if they wanted to expand their knowledge but mostly because they had both come to cherish the activity—their own secret game.

They'd spent many long, enjoyable hours discussing the tales they read and dreaming of what they would be if they could. Through those conversations, Kaito had discovered that Shinichi had quite a sharp sense of humor, not to mention a strong belief in right and wrong that Kaito was pretty sure their creators hadn't intended for him to have.

Kaito hadn't really shared Shinichi's scruples, but he had adhered to them because he didn't want to upset his friend. Over time though, as they grew and learned, he had come to appreciate that part of Shinichi too. They had been taught that being good meant obeying orders and supporting the Organization. Needless to say, Kaito had felt that being _good_ was overrated. Shinichi had agreed that the definitions they had been given were probably flawed, but where Kaito had decided to then measure everything according to his own preferences, Shinichi had looked further. His search for the truth behind right and wrong had sparked many a heated debate between them.

A smile tugged at the corners of Kaito's lips at the memories.

His Shin-chan was an idealist. While Kaito was of the opinion that such idealism was a little naïve, he admired Shinichi's determination to adhere to it as best he could.

"We're here." The car pulled into a garage attached to a mall. Being after hours, the place was mostly empty but for half a dozen cars. Some belonged to mall staff and security, the rest were not so mundane. The largest of those was a white van. A young woman was already there, opening the back.

"Go," Kaito told Shinichi. "Shiho should have removed Heiji and the nuisance's trackers by now. You should go next. Hurry."

Shinichi didn't bother with asking questions. They all knew that time was of the essence. So he climbed into the medical van and lay down on the operation table he found already prepared for him there.

Shiho picked up a syringe. "Give me your arm."

He did as he was told, and the world faded away.

Parking his car, Kaito hopped out and moved to check the other vehicles nearby. When he was done, he returned to the medical van to see that Shinichi was already being helped off the operating table by a blond man with an expressionless face.

Kaito felt his irritation spike, but he forced it down and kept a pleasant smile on his face. He'd never liked Saguru, but they were allies for the time being.

He and Shinichi had met Heiji and Saguru around when they had started taking on missions. The other two artificial children were mainly handled by a different lab, but the Organization had seen fit for the two labs to exchange ideas and suggestions every now and then on the progress of their projects.

In Kaito's books, that had meant that he and Shinichi would be given access to new allies.

Of the two new children, Heiji was the loud one and easy to read. He seemed to have no idea when to keep his mouth shut and when not to. He got angry easily but cooled off quickly too, and he seemed to assume from the start that they were all going to be friends.

Kaito had decided early on that Heiji would be easy to use. Whether they could be friends, however, Kaito felt would depend on if the boy could learn some tact. Otherwise, he would be a hindrance to Kaito's plans for escape.

Fortunately, Heiji proved to be the sort who never forgot a friend or let a debt go unpaid. He was honest and strong (Shinichi's words, not Kaito's), and that made him a dependable ally and trustworthy friend (still Shinichi's words, but Kaito put a lot of store in Shinichi's opinions).

Saguru on the other hand was Heiji's exact opposite. Where Heiji wore his emotions on his sleeve, the blond wasn't simply deadpan, he had no emotions at all. He based all his thoughts and actions on logic and reason alone and viewed all emotionally driven actions as foolish and pointless. That was why, the first time he had seen Shinichi reading one of the books Kaito had stolen for him (a.k.a. unapproved reading material), he reported it to the scientists. Subsequently, Shinichi and Kaito had been punished. Shinichi had forgiven him. Kaito had not.

_"It's not his fault he was designed without the ability to feel things,"_ Shinichi had reasoned. _"Can you imagine what that must be like?"_

Kaito had said quite frankly that he didn't care one bit and pointed out that someone without emotions wouldn't care about not having said emotions either because caring required the ability to feel in the first place. But Shinichi had taken it upon himself anyway to try and teach the blond tattletale why they all needed to learn more than just what they were actively taught by their creators. And Shinichi had succeeded, which, Kaito had to admit, was why they could all work together now for a common goal. But while it was clear even to him that they had to work together to succeed, he didn't like the blond any better now than he had when they'd first met.

He told himself it was because the blond was the most likely to betray them. But, if he was totally honest with himself, he knew that that was only part of the reason. The other part was that he didn't like how much time and effort Shinichi had put into befriending him (if someone so bland could be called a friend anyway).

The first time he'd seen Shinichi smile at the blond, Kaito had had to suppress a sudden and almost overpowering urge to stab Saguru through the eye with the pen he'd been holding. He had refrained because he knew Shinichi wouldn't approve.

Maybe he should have been surprised by the strength of his own reaction, but he hadn't been. He'd already known that Shinichi was more to him than just a close friend. Shinichi was the one person Kaito would do anything to protect. The one thing in the world he refused to lose. He wanted to make Shinichi smile—to show him all the wonders they had ever dreamed of seeing and wiping away all his worries.

He knew that he wanted Shinichi in other, less innocent ways too. He wanted to hold Shinichi close and kiss him—to feel Shinichi's supple body arching under his own.

Shaking away those thoughts, he hopped onto the table and held his arm out to Shiho. When he came to, it was to find Shinichi waiting next to him, watching him with warm, anxious eyes. Shinichi gave him a hand up, and they both watched as Heiji disappeared out of the van with a small cage in his hands. Two white mice were just shaking themselves awake inside the catch, small, white collars nearly invisible against their coats. Sewn to the insides of those collars were certain chips.

Everything was going as planned.

Standing, he drew in a deep breath then let it out. A razor sharp grin spread across his face.

"Come on. Let's go pick a car. We'll head out the moment Heiji gets back from releasing those mice."

* * *

**-To Be Continued-**


	3. Heroes and Villains - Homecoming

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: M

Collection Summary: In an infinite number of universes, they still always manage to find each other. A KaiShin sci-fi collection. (This is the science fiction counterpart to the Different Suns collection)

Chapter Summary: It isn't about where you started, it's where you go that matters. So goes the motto of the Milky Way Corporation, an organization dedicated to studying and supporting the newly emerging population of people with paranormal powers.

Notes: I considered putting this in the Different Suns collection instead, but emerging superpowers in society type settings tend to feel more sci-fi to me. So I am putting this series here.

* * *

**Heroes and Villains: Homecoming**

_[Superpower Verse]_

"It doesn't matter what you say!" the man declared, glaring defiantly at the police. "If there's no body, you can't do anything!"

The portly inspector standing before him harrumphed. "That may be true. But you are assuming we can't find the body." Ignoring the suspect's scowl, the inspector turned to where a dark-haired young man was standing next to the culprit's spotlessly clean car. The boy had one hand on the hood of the car, and his eyes were closed. "Kudo-kun?"

For a long moment, the boy remained where he was. Then he opened his eyes, revealing a pair of strikingly blue orbs.

"The body's in the mountain to the north of the city," he said. "Take the Toami road up. There's an unnamed dirt road about three kilometers along that branches off to the right past a large collection of white and gray boulders. Drive for another four hundred meters and stop. There'll be a fallen log on the left side of the road roughly fifty meters into the forest. The body is buried just beyond the uphill end of that log."

The inspector nodded and turned to one of his officers, completely ignoring the shell-shocked culprit. "Chiba, take a few men with you and go retrieve the body."

"But…but…" the culprit spluttered. "That—that's impossible! How did you…"

He was still muttering when the police led him away.

"Thank you again for your help, Satou-san, Kudo-kun," the inspector said as he smiled jovially at the boy and the woman standing beside him. "You've saved us a lot of time."

"We're always happy to help," the woman, Satou, replied. "If that's all, we have another piece of business we need to attend to."

"That's all. Thank you again."

The woman and the teen climbed into a red car parked nearby.

"We have another case?" Kudo Shinichi asked as the car pulled out of the convenience store's parking lot. "Did it just come in?"

Satou Miwako laughed. "No, it's not a case." She cast an amused look at her passenger when he only made a confused sound. "Don't tell me you forgot. Kuroba-kun's coming back today."

Blue eyes widened and Shinichi sat bolt upright in his seat. "That's today!"

Satou burst out laughing. "I figured you'd want some time to get things ready. You can thank me later."

Blushing, Shinichi sat back in his seat. "Thanks…"

"No problem. Oh, and the others are planning to throw him a surprise birthday party, but I told them to wait until tomorrow."

-0-

Standing before the counter of his residence in the Milky Way Apartment Complex, Shinichi surveyed the ingredients lined up before him. He had purchased everything last weekend in preparation for this day, but, if Satou hadn't been so thoughtful, he probably wouldn't have had time to actually put them to use. He really should thank her again.

Turning to the set of recipes he had chosen and photocopied for the occasion, he compared the list of necessary ingredients to those he had on the counter again just to be absolutely sure nothing was missing. Once he was satisfied, he rolled up his sleeves and set to work.

Honestly, three years ago, he would never have imagined that he would be going to so much trouble just to prepare one meal. His parents had run off to travel the world when he had turned fourteen, leaving him to fend for himself. Not that he'd minded. His parents were…well, frankly, they were maddening and confusing and just easier to get along with when he didn't have to see them every day. They always seemed to be on a different wavelength from him, but there wasn't any point thinking about that. The point was, he'd lived on his own for quite some time. But, though he'd learned how to cook for the sake of self preservation, he'd never cared that much about what he ate. He'd even forgotten to eat altogether on occasion.

Yet here he was, preparing a full course meal.

He supposed it had all started with that case. He'd been sixteen at the time and solving mysteries as a high school detective with the power to read the memories of inanimate objects and machines.

That day, his school's soccer coach had called in sick. A substitute coach was brought in, and the team had gone off to play. But when the time had come to return to school, they'd found that one of the kids was missing. The substitute stayed behind to search while the class left to go back to school on the bus. Shinichi had insisted on staying to help look for the missing student, but they had found nothing. In the end, the substitute had offered to give Shinichi a ride home in his car as it was already late.

The moment Shinichi had sat down in that car, he had known that there was a body in the trunk. It was the dead body of the missing student. He didn't know how it had died because the car cared little for such things, but he knew it was there. But he said nothing because he also knew that it was the man sitting next to him, driving the car, who had put that body there.

Shinichi had pieced everything together in his head. The original coach had owed this man, an old friend of his, a favor, so he'd let him sub as coach for this game. He was a skilled soccer player, after all. Coaching was no problem for him.

But the substitute had not wanted a chance to coach. He had wanted a chance to kill the younger brother of a former friend who had, in a past game, caused the sub to injure his leg so badly that he could no longer play soccer anymore. To the injured man, to whom logic no longer paid any visits, killing the younger brother of the man who'd caused his injury was the perfect payback.

Shinichi had been ready to pretend nothing was going on, get home, and call the police. But he hadn't known one thing.

The substitute coach had super powers too. He could read minds.

The substitute had hidden his knowledge well. He had stopped the car at a small gas station to refuel and buy drinks. He bought one for his 'guest' as well, but, knowing what he knew, he did not bother trying to spike the drink. Instead, he had offered it to Shinichi, who, unaware of the man's powers, was still pretending that he knew nothing so that he could call the police when he got home. But everything changed when Shinichi moved to take the proffered drink.

The murderer had used that momentary distraction to lunge at the boy and wrap his hands around Shinichi's neck. The boy had been pinned back against the car door, unable to get the much larger man off of him. It was dumb luck that he had been able to work a hand behind himself to open the car door. The abruptness of his backwards fall had broken his attacker's grip on him.

The precious few seconds that that fortuitous moment had bought allowed Shinichi to escape into the gas station. The old man who worked there had locked the doors, and Shinichi had called the police. Of course, the substitute had fled the scene long before the police got there, but, with the coins the man had used at the station, Shinichi had been able to help the police retrace the murderer's steps to collect much needed evidence. The insight into the man's actions that that had given them had allowed them to track him down and eventually arrest him.

That had been the first of many cases that Shinichi had found himself entangled in. It didn't take long for all the police and detectives in the area to figure out the value of both his supernatural ability and his ability to solve complicated puzzles.

Despite his growing reputation, however, Shinichi had still been surprised when Detective Satou from the Milky Way Corporation had approached him.

"You want me to join your organization?"

The woman nodded. "We could really use your talents. I know you were considering joining the police, and I am sure you would do well there too. However, I believe that Milky Way would be a better fit for you. I have information here for you about who we are and what we do. Please go over it and let us know what you decide."

The woman had given him a data disk then before taking her leave.

Shinichi had known of the Milky Way Corporation long before they had come to recruit him. Few people in the world were ignorant of its name these days. Established almost half a century ago when humans with paranormal powers had first begun appearing, the organization's mission was both to support those uniquely gifted individuals and to study their powers in order to further understanding and promote acceptance for them all around the world. To that end, they had established schools on all populated continents. They had also built a worldwide network of licensed agents who used their talents to aid in a variety of efforts and projects around the globe.

Shinichi had spent a week reviewing the information and conducting his own research, though part of him had already guessed what his own decision would be. At the end of the week, he had called Satou and told her that he would accept the offer. And so, at the age of eighteen, Kudo Shinichi became with a student at the Milky Way Institute and an active agent of the school's mother organization.

Looking back, Shinichi knew that it was one of the best and most important choices he had ever made.

Shutting the oven door, he set the timer then turned back to the stove. The clock on the kitchen wall told him that he had only an hour and a half left before Kaito would e home.

He still remembered the first time he'd heard of Kaito—though of course he hadn't known the magician's name at the time. It wasn't until much later that he'd learned that.

"They asked us to look into this thief," Satou had told him one day roughly two months after Shinichi had joined Milky Way. "They believe he has supernatural powers, but they're not sure since he styles himself as a magician. Anyway, he's been running circles around the police for ages, and one of the new supervisors has decided it's time to bring in the professionals. His next heist is scheduled to be at the end of the week. We'll be meeting the police at the target's location."

Shinichi blinked. "Wait, scheduled? You mean his heists are prearranged?"

"Yep. He sends a note and everything."

Intrigued, Shinichi had decided to look the thief up in more detail before the heist. To say he had been shocked but the sheer amount of stuff that turned up would have been a huge understatement. The thief, known as Kaitou KID, was not only a talented criminal who had been eluding the police for years but also a skilled magician with enough fans to rival any celebrity entertainer. It was crazy! And it was interesting.

"I think there's something more to his heists," Shinichi had told Satou as they made their way to the museum where the heist would be taking place.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying he has to be after something more than just stealing. I mean, he returns the things he steals. So obviously he doesn't really want them. That means he's after something else. Yet he keeps drawing all this attention to himself…"

"Many of the officers I've spoken to think he's just doing it for the thrill. Some people get their kicks from committing crimes."

Shinichi shook his head. "He goes out of his way to make sure no one gets hurt at his heists—seven when he puts himself in danger by doing so. Someone who only cared about thrills wouldn't put himself to that kind of trouble."

"Maybe he wants attention then."

"I don't think that's it either. I watched some of the videos of his previous heists. He's an amazing magician. He could easily become a professional."

Satou chuckled. "He _is_ pretty incredible. I wouldn't be surprised if he already is a professional."

The honest admiration in her voice raised Shinichi's eyebrows, but he didn't comment. It wasn't until much later that learned that the woman was privately quite a fan of the enigmatic magician thief. At the time though, Shinichi had been fully preoccupied with the mystery that was Kaitou KID.

-0-

Hopping out of the taxi that had picked him up from the airport, Kuroba Kaito paid the driver then strode through the gates of the Milky Way Apartment Complex. The security guard, an elderly man who could see ill intentions as clouds of black smoke around people, called out a cheerful greeting, not at all surprised by the way Kaito had literally walked through the closed gates like they were nothing but holograms. The man had, after all, seen it all before.

"Long trip?" he asked. "I don't think I've seen you around much lately."

"Two months," Kaito replied.

The security guard whistled. "Must have been a big job. I'm sure Kudo-kun will be glad to see you."

"Not nearly as glad as I will be to see him," Kaito assured the man with a grin. Then he was inside his building. Not in the mood to wait around for an elevator, he jogged to the stairs and started up, taking them two at a time. He couldn't wait to see Shinichi again.

Life really was unpredictable, he thought, laughing to himself. When he'd first met Shinichi, he'd never expected that they'd even become friends, let alone that they would fall in love.

His first sight of Shinichi had been on a rooftop. He had just finished a heist and was on his way out. He hadn't expected to see someone on this particular roof, it being the roof he had chosen for his descent after leaving the museum, but he wouldn't be the master magician thief he was if he couldn't adapt and improvise.

He'd greeted the stranger and politely inquired as to what had led the boy to be in such a peculiar place at such a late hour. He was only mildly surprised to learn that the boy had deduced where he would be making his landing. What truly shocked him was what Shinichi had sid next.

"If you would be willing to tell me your story, I might be able to help you."

The thief cocked his head to one side, his expression hidden by the shadows beneath his hat. "Are you a reporter?"

"A detective."

"Oh? And you want to help me?" the thief echoed, sounding amused. "You'll excuse me if I don't leap at the offer. Well, interesting as this little chat has been, I have places to be. Ciao."

He'd leapt from the roof then and activated his glider, heading for one of the many backup landing sites he had selected in advance. He would have dimissed the encounter after that except that the strange young detective's offer had intrigued him—not because he was interested but because he'd never expected a detective of all people to make such an offer.

The name Kudo Shinichi had been easy to research. In spite of his youth, the boy was nearly as famous as Kaitou KID, albeit in more specialized circles.

The more he'd learned about Shinichi, the more he'd begun to wonder if he should reconsider the boy's offer of aid. Shinichi's particular powers would, he understood instantly, be a great help to him. But he wasn't about to risk providing a detective with information about his mission until he knew without a doubt that the boy was trustworthy.

With that thought in mind, he'd begun stalking Shinichi.

Kaito laughed out loud at those memories. Oh the fun he'd had.

Reaching the twelfth floor landing, Kaito swerved out into the hallway and made a beeline for the door with a four-leaf clover ornament decorating its front. He considered walking through it, but then he changed his mind. Instead, he rang the doorbell. When he heard movement beyond the door, he turned his face to the camera and winked.

The door opened, revealing a Shinichi wearing a Hawaiian-print apron that their friend Heiji had given them and holding a spatula in one hand. A medley of expresions passed across the detective's face: delight, confusion, exasperation, love, and more.

Not waiting for Shinichi to decide what to say first, Kaito made a red rose appear with a flourish and offered it to Shinichi. "I'm home."

Shinichi blinked at the rose then smiled. "I missed you."

-0-

Kaito gazed in undisguised awe at the veritable feast laid out on the apartment's dining table.

"You made all this yourself?"

Shinichi shrugged, embarrassed. "I did." In fact, he had practiced every dish twice before today just to make absolutely sure that they would taste good, but he kept that bit of information to himself. "We should eat before it gets cold," he added.

They settled down to eat. In minutes, it was as though they had never been apart. They had both been following what they could of the other's exploits through the news channels and the Milky Way Corporations' internal status trackers, but such things could never truly capture the full extent of people's experiences.

"Imagine! Two whole months of cleaning up toxic waste." Kaito shook his head. "Really kills the appetite, I tell you."

Shinichi winced sympathetically. "It's important work though."

"Which is why I agreed to do it. But seriously, it's disgusting what humans have been doing to the environment."

"At least more and more people are trying to fix it."

"It's a start."

"Are you all right though?" Shinichi asked. "I mean, converting all that material must have been taxing…"

Kaito waved away his concern with a lighthearted laugh. "Nothing I can't handle. I can use my powers as long as I can focus, and you know me. I never lose sight of my goals."

Shinichi snorted. That was an understatement.

"I know you've solved a lot of cases over the last few weeks. But what happened with the kids you mentioned on the phone?" asked Kaito. "The ones who were abandoned."

"The Amine Orphanage took them in, but there's been a lot of friction. We've been working with the staff to educate everyone who works and lives there, and I think the other children are starting to accept the idea that having odd powers isn't anything more or less than having talents or medical conditions, but you know how these things are. People don't change over night."

"At least they _can_ change," Kaito offered.

"That's true. By the way, I was wondering if you could find some time to put on a magic show for at the orphanage. I told the kids that I knew a magician, and they all wanted to meet you."

"Of course. I'd never turn down a chance to share the joys of magic."

"And cultivate your fanbase?"

Kaito chortled. "You know how it is. Magic is an art that requires an audience."

They shared a smile. So wrapped up were they in the contentment of finally being home together again that neither of them noticed that they had finished their meal until their silverware clinked off of empty plates.

"Should I cut the cake?" Shinichi asked.

"You baked a cake too?"

"Well, I just thought I'd try this recipe I found. I know how much you love chocolate," he said vaguely. There was no way he was telling Kaito that he'd spent three hours going through dozens of different chocolate cake recipes just to try and find the perfect one—perfect meaning not too complicated but sure to be delicious. He avoided the knowing and rather amused look that Kaito was sending his way.

"Much appreciated. Although," Kaito continued, his grin taking on a very different kind of edge. "I can think of at least one thing I'd like even more than a chocolate cake~."

Shinichi took note of the way Kaito was leering at him and blushed bright red.

"I'll get the cake," he announced to cover his embarrassment.

Kaito hid a grin behind his water cup. His dear detective was adorable when he was flustered.

-0-

With two glasses of wine in hand, they had moved to their bedroom, where they could sit on the edge of the bed and look out through the balcony doors at the glittering lights of the city at night. Outside, it was rather windy tonight, so they had opted not to sit on the balcony. Inside, it was warm and quiet. The wine was a special one someone had given Kaito as a gift after his recent work. Shinichi had never been a big fan of alcohol of any kind, but it certainly seemed to fit the atmosphere.

This cityscape—the sparkle of stars both natural and manmade above and below—always reminded him of Kaito. And he had spent many a night looking at this very same scene over the past two months, lost in memories of other mights.

Their early meetings had always been characterized by such scenery. That moment when he'd first seen Kaito alighting on that rooftop with the moon's white face shining bright behind him, casting his features in shadow so that all that was visible was the gleam of his monocle and the white slash of his smile was forever imprinted into Shinichi's mind.

Their second meeting had been every bit as dramatic. Shinichi had nearly jumped out of his skin when he'd answered a call he'd thought was from his friend Hattori only to be confronted by Kaitou KID. They had been at the renowned Beika Sky Garden, a massive, fully climate-controled garden tended to by fairy-like robots that occupied the rooftops of the city's largest shopping center. Even more surprising than his abrupt appearance, however, had been his words.

_ "I've decided to take you up on your offer. We'll trade. A story for a favor."_

Shinichi really hadn't known what to expect, but he'd always trusted his instincts, and those instincts had told him to give the thief the benefit of the doubt. He never regretted that decision.

-0-

"There is a legend. It tells of a city full of wonders and a people more advanced in art and science than any other in the world before or since. However, they were not satisfied. And so they created a tool—one that would grant them power beyond imagining. And they succeeded. For a while.

But their creation was too powerful. Unable to withstand its own power, the tool—a great jewel of many changing colors—shattered. The power it released wiped out the entire civilization, sinking it beneath the sea."

"Like Atlantis."

The thief gave a crooked smile. "In essence. But that is only the beginning of the story."

Shinichi nodded slowly. "Go on then."

"When the jewel shattered, its power too was broken, but it was not lost. It was merely distorted. Each piece of the jewel influenced the world and people a little differently. It caused disasters and created monsters. The small handful of survivors from the lost city realized both their folly and their responsibility to fix what had happened before the balance of the world was twisted beyond repair. They set about hunting down the pieces of their creation so that they could be destroyed. However, other people learned of the stranger powers of these jewels and sought to use them to their own gain. Centuries of conflict between these two groups commencted, but, gradually, the jewels were destroyed one by one, and the legend of their powers became less and less widely known. And even fewer believed those tales. Indeed, it was thought that all the jewels had been destroyed. That was until an unwitting explorer discovered a small collection of half a dozen strange but beautiful jewels. He thought he'd found buried pirate treasure. He sold most of the jewels, keeping only one for himself. The money he got allowed him to settle down and get married, but his life was not peaceful. Strange things kept happening around him, and disasters dogged his footsteps. And every time a new catastrophe fell, he would dream of the jewel. Soon, he came to understand that it was the jewel's power bending the world around him. So he destroyed it. But, not having the knowledge of how destroy the thing properly, his actions sent the remnants of that jewel's powers out into the world, forever changing it. That was fifty years ago."

Shinichi's breath hitched. "You don't mean…"

"Indeed."

"But this is just a myth, isn't it? You don't actually know if any of it is true."

"It's up to you how much of the story you want to believe. But the treasure hunter and his misfortunes were real. You can research them for yourself if you want. It is also fact that there are others who have heard and believe."

"Like you."

The thief merely shrugged.

"But why are you telling me this?"

"Because this story is the reason that someone important to me was killed," KID said grimly. "And I believe that you can help me catch them."

-0-

Shinichi shook his head at the memory. He hadn't really believed the Atlantian fantasy part of KID's tale at the time, but he'd had no problems believing that there were criminals out there who would have no qualms acting on such tales and their promises. And so he had reiterated his offer to help the thief so long as he sought only justice for his lost loved one. Shinichi's views on that legend had changed considerably over the last few years, but that was a story for another time. For now, he focused back on the present.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Kaito asked.

"I was just remembering."

"Any moment in particular?"

"The first time we met… The first time you told me your story… The first time we worked together, and the first time we went out…"

"How about the first time we made love?" Kaito inquired, tone suggestive. Shinichi instantly turned red, and Kaito laughed heartily.

Taking both their empty glasses, the magician leaned over to set them on the nightstand. As he drew back, he brushed a kiss across Shinichi's lips. "Thank you. Dinner was excellent. As was the cake."

Shinichi smiled, feeling warm and happy and a little bit giddy. He'd missed Kaito these last few weeks. "I'm glad you liked it. Happy birthday. And welcome home."

Catching Shinichi's lips in a more passionate kiss, Kaito shifted forward, forcing Shinichi to lean back until he toppled over to land flat on his back on the bed with Kaito on top of him. Shinichi broke the kiss with a gasp, startled half by the impact and half by the feel of calloused fingers rubbing circles over his bare hips. His pants and underwear had mysteriously gone missing—or not so mysteriously, when he considered that Kaito's ability was molecular reconstruction.

"_Kai_," he half squeaked when those same calloused fingers glided up his sides, and he realized that it wasn't only his lower garments that had gone missing. "Stop destroying my clothes!"

"What are you talking about?" the culprit asked in an innocent tone that was fooling no one as he licked and nibbled on the side of Shinichi's neck. "I'm just unwrapping my present." Then he shifted to murmur directly into the shell of Shinichi's ear. "I plan to enjoy it very thoroughly."

Shinichi shuddered at both the sensation of Kaito's hot breath brushing past his ear and the tone of his voice. His own breath hitched in his throat. He felt hot. A tiny part of his mind suggested that he should be smacking Kaito upside the head and demanding his clothes repaired, but that voice was growing rapidly weaker. The rest of him just wanted to melt into a happy puddle under the hands wandering all over his body.

With an effort, he placed his hands on Kaito's shoulders, pushing the other back a little. "Kai, wait. Your report—"

"I dropped it off already." Kaito caught Shinichi's wrists, gently but firmly pinning them to the bed on either side of Shinichi's head as he leaned back down to leave another hickey on Shinichi's neck.

"I—I have work tomorrow," Shinichi persisted, his voice coming out rather breathless (okay, yes, it was the party tomorrow, so there probably wouldn't be too much work, but Kaito wasn't supposed to know about the party. Besides, if he showed up to the party with hickeys… He felt horribly embarrassed just imagining the knowing looks and smirks). He unconsciously tilted his head to give Kaito better access. He could feel his lover's lips curl into a smirk against his throat.

"Don't worry about that. We both have the next week off. I filed the paperwork when I dropped off my report. And we can swing by to get anything you might need from the office at any time. So," he drawled, drawing back a bit so he could look Shinichi in the eyes. "Any more questions? Because I'd like to get back to playing with my present."

Not waiting for an answer, he dove back in, crushing their lips together in a demanding kiss. His tongue dove past Shinichi's soft lips to plunder the hot cavern beyond, eliciting mewls of pleasure from the detective now shuddering under him. His hands roamed over Shinichi's body, reacquainting himself with every dip and curve. He knew all the sensitive spots on his detective's body, and he was fully intent on re-exploring every one of them.

Shinichi melted under the magician's caresses. A contented sigh slipped from his lips. He ran his fingers through Kaito's messy hair, marveling again at how soft the strands were despite their spiky, unkempt appearance. His hands then trailed over Kaito's shoulders and down to the buttons on the front of the magician's shirt and beginning to undo them. But Kaito caught his wrists again, pinning them above his head.

Shinichi pouted despite himself, earning an amused and decidedly wicked grin from his lover. Kaito winked, which was the only warning Shinichi got before he felt smooth cloth slide around his wrists. He glanced up to find that his hands had been bound to the bars in the bed's headboard by a pair of seamless cloth cuffs that were the same shade of green that his shirt had been.

"Is that my shirt?" he asked incredulously. "I liked that shirt."

Kaito laughed. "I'll change it back later. Now," he continued, tilting Shinichi's face towards him for another deep kiss. "Let's focus on more important things than shirts, hmm?"

Shinichi would have liked to be annoyed. After all, that was easy for Kaito to say, especially since the magician still had all his own clothes—a fact Shinichi found most unfair. But he couldn't focus on his irritation (or much of anything else) in the face of the talented tongue and dexterous fingers exploring and worshipping every inch of his body.

Kaito left a prominent mark on Shinichi's neck before moving down to his chest then stomach, eliciting a stifled giggle from his detective. Then he moved lower still, leaving another hickey just above Shinichi's left hip bone before moving on. Spreading Shinichi's long legs and pushing them up, he tickled the inside f Shinichi's right knee with his tongue before nipping at the sensitive skin of his inner thighs.

He lingered there for a while, leaving his mark on both thighs before he shifted to tease Shinichi's growing arousal. The detective gasped as a hot mouth descended on him, licking and sucking and teasing him into full arousal only to move on again as Kaito shifted up once more to kiss Shinichi's lips.

"You're still dressed," the detective complained between soft gasps for breath, but Kaito hushed him with a finger to his lips.

"In time," he purred, pressing that same finger past Shinichi's soft lips and into his mouth in a silent command. Shinichi accepted the finger and the two more that followed, wrapping his tongue around them and sucking on them with an eagerness that he would have been embarrassed by if he'd been thinking about anything at all beyond the growing, burning need to feel his Kaito inside him.

As though sensing his thoughts, Kaito withdrew his hand and slid his now wet fingers down to Shinichi's twitching hole. He traced his fingers lightly, teasingly, around the ring of muscle before easing one finger inside. That finger was soon followed by a second and a third. Shinichi's breaths were coming in quick gasps now, and his eyes were closed as he tried to relax around the fingers pressing inside him slowly but surely prying apart sensitive walls and preparing him for what was to come. They moved deeper with each thrust before they curled to press hard against a spot inside him that turned his gasps into a moan of pure pleasure. Kaito smirked and pressed hard into that spot again and again, relishing in the way his detective bucked and mewled in helpless pleasure.

"I think it's time for the main event," Kaito half whispered, half sang as a wicked grin curled his lips.

He withdrew his fingers, earning a whine of protest from his panting lover. He hopped off the bed and waited until Shinichi opened confused blue eyes to look at him. Then he began stripping out of his clothes. Lying prone on the bed with his hands still bound above his head, Shinichi blushed. His pulse quickened, and his gaze drifted down, to Kaito's erect cock. His blush darkened.

Kaito watched Shinichi spread his legs a little wider in unconscious invitation as he squirmed in obvious anticipation and smirked.

He climbed back onto the bed like a hunting cat stalking across the sheets to lean over his prey's trembling body. Using his own knees to keep Shinichi's legs spread wide, he touched a fingertip to that perfect little hole, feeling the muscles stutter and twitch. He let his fingertip dip inside then withdrew again.

Shinichi let out a noise rather reminiscent of a thwarted kitten growling. "Stop teasing."

Kaito only laughed. Shinichi really was too cute, especially when he was frustrated. The sight made Kaito's already hard member throb with desire. "So eager."

Chuckling at his detective's embarrassed stutter, he leaned over to the nightstand. Fishing the lube from the drawer, he sat back on his heels and squeezed a generous amount onto his hand. He coated his length then slipped two fingers back into Shinichi to make sure his detective was well-prepared. Satisfied, he took hold of Shinichi's hips and pressed the tip of his throbbing cock against Shinichi's waiting hole.

Shinichi moaned as Kaito thrust slowly into him, filling him all the way to the brim. He could feel the muscles in his rear stretching to accommodate the hard, hot intruder, and it made his spine arch and his nerves tingle as his toes curled in pleasure. It had been far too long. The intrusion bordered on painful. He felt like he was a virgin again, being taken for the first time by the man he loved.

He blushed at the thought and the memories it brought and squirmed, clenching spasmodically around the pulsating cock inside him.

He had missed Kaito terribly over the magician's extended absence—missed his wit and confidence, his warmth and intelligence and even his mischief and twisty sense of humor. Shinichi's world was always more vivid and colorful when Kaito was around. But it wasn't until this moment that he admitted that he'd also missed Kaito's touch.

Another shudder of pleasure raced up his spine. He felt more than he heard the magician chuckle.

"Do you like that?" Kaito purred low into his ear, the warm air tickling the shell of Shinichi's ear and the sensitive skin of his neck. "Do you want more?"

Shinichi could only whimper and nod, hands twisting in their bonds and clenching as though trying to grasp a lifeline.

Kaito's hands rubbed over the curve of his hips, calloused fingers digging into his waist then sliding down to knead his thighs before they gripped his hips and held him still as Kaito finally began to move. The thrusts started out long and gentle, each thrust pushing in deep and filling Shinichi to the brim before sliding almost all the way out again just as slowly. Teasing. Enticing. In. Out. In.

With each slow, deep thrust, Shinichi grew a little more accustomed to the intrusion, and all lingering discomfort melted away in the face of mounting pleasure. But the pace was driving him crazy. It was too slow. He shifted, trying to meet Kaito's movements, but the magician's hands held him still. A whimper of protest escaped his lips.

"_Kai_."

"Patience~," Kaito teased, brushing a kiss over Shinichi's parted lips before moving to nip and suck on the side of the detective's neck. He smirked against the soft skin. He wanted nothing more right then than to pound into Shinichi until his detective was writhing and screaming his name in ecstasy, but he knew there would be plenty of time for that later. For now, he was enjoying making Shinichi squirm. There was nothing quite as arousing as having his detective completely at his mercy, all but begging Kaito to ravish him.

Another slow thrust, and Shinichi let out another moan that was almost a whine.

"_Kai_, please…" he whimpered.

Deciding that he had teased Shinichi long enough (at least for now), Kaito gradually picked up the pace. Shinichi's gasps and moans became cries of pleasure as his lover thrust into him hard and fast, again and again. Every thrust drove ruthlessly into that spot that sent jolts of electricity racing along his nerves, and his body responded of its own accord. Soon he was riding each thrust with an eager abandon that only encouraged Kaito to plow into him all the harder.

It was with a scream that Shinichi came, his inner muscles clamping tight around Kaito's hard cock. The magician made sure to thrust himself fully into that wonderfully tight heat before he too came, releasing his essence deep inside Shinichi. The detective shuddered again at the sensation, another soft moan slipping from his lips.

They lay there for a long moment, riding out the waves of their joint release and catching their breaths. Shinichi let out an involuntary whimper when Kaito moved, pulling out of him.

The magician grinned down at him. "Don't worry. I'm nowhere near done with you yet." He let his voice drop into a dark purr. "We have a long night ahead of us. I do hope you're prepared."

The promises in his voice made Shinichi shiver, both excited and nervous. But he wasn't given much time to ponder what Kaito had planned. Not that Shinichi minded. He was all too happy to let Kaito have his way with him.

-0-

Shinichi drifted back to wakefulness on a cloud of contentment that made him wonder drowsily if he was still asleep. But gradually his thoughts cleared a little further, and he knew that that was sunlight he was seeing through his eyelids. Still, he kept his eyes closed, just basking in the warmth of the bed and the strong arms wrapped around him. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Thoughts of the previous night's events floated through his mind, and he blushed. He'd lost count of how many times Kaito had taken him last night. They hadn't actually gone to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. Even now, he felt as though he could feel the echoes of those touches.

In both their lovemaking and life in general, Kaito could be alternatively gentle and merciless, mischievous and serious, thoughtful and selfish. But he was always loving. And really, that was one of Kaito's greatest charms, Shinichi mused. He was a fascinating array of contradictions all wrapped up in one insanely intelligent (and possibly crazy) man that made you believe that miracles really could happen. Of course, whether the aforementioned miracles would actually be good things was a matter more up for debate, but that sense of mystery and unpredictably was just another of the qualities that Shinichi loved about his magician.

Turning around in Kaito's embrace, he buried his face against the magician's chest to get away from the light. He felt one of Kaito's hands move to rub slow circles on his back and sighed, snuggling closer. He had almost drifted back to sleep when he suddenly remembered the party.

"What time is it?" he asked reluctantly, not moving from his comfortable position.

"Half past ten."

Shinichi winced. The party was at eleven. "We should get up."

"Vacation, remember?"

"I have files I need from the office."

"You do remember what a vacation is, right?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "But I didn't have any warning. I'd prefer not to leave my case files lying around the office for two weeks. That's how things get lost."

Kaito heaved an exaggerated sigh but relented. "All right. Let's go then. The sooner we get the official business out of the way the better I say."

So it was that they arrived right on time for the party.

"So," drawled an amused, female voice. "Have fun last night?"

Shinichi looked up from the cup of coffee he'd been nursing in the corner of the auditorium where the party was in full swing to find Miyano Shiho smirking at him. The young doctor had become one of his best friends when she had moved in with her grandfather, an elderly inventor who lived next door to Shinichi's parents' home. That had been back in middle school. Nowadays, Shinichi would venture to say that, after Kaito, she was the person who knew him best.

Also like Kaito, she seemed to derive a great deal of pleasure from teasing him.

"None of your business," he grumbled, trying to hide his blush behind his coffee mug.

Shiho moved to lean aainst the wall beside him, arms folded. "Have you two made your vacation plans? Or were you planning hole up at home?"

"I didn't know I was going to be on vacation until yesterday," Shinichi replied dryly. Across the room, Kaito was still in the midst of greeting a seemingly endless stream of well wishers. "But I assume he has plans. He usually does."

"Indeed," Shiho agreed. "But, if he doesn't, you two might consider looking into this."

Slipping an envelope from her pocket, she passed it to him. Then she bid him a quiet farewell and took her leave.

Curious, Shinichi opened the envelope to find several news clippings inside. They described the discovery and dredging up of an old shipwreck and the treasures it contained. They also detailed several odd occurances that had followed the wreckage's recovery, leading many to believe that the ship' treasure was haunted. Among that treasure were several large jewels.

"What've you got there?" Kaito asked as he joined Shinichi. He was munching on what Shinichi could have sworn was his third slice of birthday cake.

The detective silently held up some of the articles so that Kaito could see their titles. "Shiho had some suggestions on where we might want to take our vacation."

* * *

**-End of Chapter-**


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